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Child a walked into the sandpit and noticed there was water. After using a cup to transfer the water into a large pot they decided they wanted to move the pot with the water in it. They tried picking up the pot but soon realised it was quite heavy so they grabbed the cup and poured out some of the water. Once they were just able to life the pot they used their balancing skills to move it to the sandpit table watching the water with such concentration in order not to spill it.

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Today I set up some oobleck for the children to play with, I added animals for the children to play with in the oobleck. Child A walked up to the table and pocked their finger into the oobleck. After feelings its consistency the child picked up the pig saying “oink oink”, he then grabbed a handful of oobleck and emptied his hand onto the pig. The child then grabbed the other animals making their noises and stomping them into the oobleck.

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Child A walked into the room and over to the art table where there was paint set up. The child pulled a piece of paper off the shelf and sat down. Looking at the colours the child pocked their finger into the first pot of paint saying “pink”, they used their finger to do a circle with lines coming out of it. The child then poked their finger into the second pot of paint and said “green”. The child used the paints to paint onto their paper creating a masterpiece. Once they were finished they took their paper to dry on the rack and washed their hands.

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To summarise the three observations the children used sensory play through water, oobleck and paint to explore and find meaning within their world. The children used tactile play to investigate and feel different sensations on their body.

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For this placement I was in a 1-2 year old room. In the room they have around 16 children a day in what I would consider to be a small room. At the centre they like to use very natural materials in the room and haver activities with open ended options, they are required to have music going at all times throughout the day to create a calming environment throughout the room. There are also a lot of self help stations for the children to wash their faces throughout the day, apply sunscreen, go the toilet and wash hands. There is a lot of emerging interest in this class but one that i have noticed is animals, a lot of families are going to the zoo and aquarium over the school holidays. Another is construction inside and outside and cooking in the sandpit.

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Sc. (2019, July 25). What’s all the fuss all about? Children in the 21st century are not moving enough. Sensory Corridors. https://sensorycorridors.co.za/whats-all-the-fuss-all-about-children-in-the-21st-century-are-not-moving-enough/

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In all three of the observations the children partook in sensory play using their hands. Sensory play can include touch, smell, sight, sound and taste but in this case it just includes touch. Sensory play allows children to explore different sensations and learn how to react accordingly. The most common type of sensory play is tactile play, this includes children investigating objects through touching with their hands, "from tactile play, children can learn about pressure, temperature, vibrations, and so much more” (Subramani, 2023).

Due to sensory play being such a wide range of play, many theorists brush on the topic of it while discussing play and exploration in nature.

Piaget believed that “children need environmental stimuli and experiences to guide their cognitive development” (Subramani, 2023). A new born baby does not have the sensory development of an adult yet that is why is it important for young children to have sensory play. Sensory play allows children to experience and make sense of their world as well as explore and investigate to seek out new information.

Montessori believes that “sensory play helps your preschooler develop language skills, understand math and science concepts, refine motor skills, and develop a sense of self” (The Importance of Sensory Play for Development, n.d.). Maria Montessori believes that children will naturally have sensory play through daily activities and playing outside.

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The importance of sensory play for development. (n.d.). https://calgarypreschools.ca/blog/The+Importance+Of+Sensory+Play+For+Development/79#:~:text=Dr.,foundational%20component%20of%20Montessori%20education.

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THE EARLY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR AUSTRALIA. (2018, February). https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

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Subramani, A. (2023, February 6). Exploring the benefits of sensory play for children. Only About Children. https://www.oac.edu.au/news-views/sensory-play/#:~:text=Piaget%20proposed%20that%20children%20need,to%20a%20child's%20brain%20development.

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What is sensory play and why is it important? (n.d.). Action for Children. https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blog/what-is-sensory-play-and-why-is-it-important-1/

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Playgroup NSW. (2023, July 20). The importance of music in the development of toddlers | Playgroup NSW. https://www.playgroupnsw.org.au/parent-resources/the-importance-of-music-in-the-development-of-toddlers/

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Matters, P. (2022, March 23). Music as a Form of Sensory Play. Play matters the heart & science of play. https://playmatters.org.au/blog/music-as-a-form-of-sensory-play

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Curious about Play Exploring the Concepts of Light through Play. (n.d.). Bellbird. https://www.bellbirdkidz.com.au/blog/curious-about-play/exploring-the-concepts-of-light-through-play/

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KABOOM! (2021, May 10). Sensory Play: Smell and Taste | KABOOM! https://kaboom.org/resources/build-playground-toolkit/accessibility/play-and-development/sensory-play/smell-and-taste

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Sensory play is very complex, there are so many different types of sensory play that children partake in every day without realising it. During my investigation of sensory play it is shown that children are choosing to spend more time in front of a screen than doing physical activity which means that children are not engaging in sensory play.

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Children love going for walks and getting out of the centre, when they are on the walks they notice more of their surroundings and become interested in collecting different materials they find. Getting the children moving encourages the development of the vestibular sense which is "the most important hallway to the brain" (Sc, 2019). If we are unable to go out that day we could always look around the centre or even in the carpark or even taking the children for a walk around the room to feel different objects that are sharp, soft, hard or slimy. On these walks I will encourage the children to look around at what they can find and to gather different materials they find interesting of that might feel weird. This will hopefully invite children to share with each other what they have found and and encourage them to delve deeper into nature. This provocation "helps children interact with and make sense of the world that surrounds them" (What Is Sensory Play and Why Is It Important?, n.d.), this will also open doors into a much broader talk of sustainability and picking up rubbish and why it is important to take care of our world.

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Something I find that gets overlooked in centres because it is considered too noisy is music. Music has such amazing benefits for children like helping them build coordination when they dance, building their vocabulary and increasing their sensory development. Now music doesn't always have to be off an iPad or from instruments, nature will often play a beautiful tune with the wind and birds chirping. Getting children to take a moment and listen to the world around them is music in itself, you could even talk tot hem about what they're hearing and if they could replicate the noise. When we encourage listening to music it "can help create more pathways between the cells in their brains" (Playgroup NSW, 2023). When exploring music with the children it is important to always get involved "Children learn best when we model the activity, as well as letting them explore it themselves" (Matters, 2022), this will help children to recognise and make sense of what they are hearing.

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Never look past simple light show for the children, light is so amazing and children absolutely love to explore it but I find a lot of teachers are unsure on how to use it. Light boxes are always good and usually a big hit but something even as simple as turning of the lights and giving the children torches, children will be able to explore their environment in a new way and experiment with shadows. Reggio Emilia uses her approach to endorse the use of light and shadows in play to "promote independent learning through the senses to help shape different perspectives" (Curious About Play Exploring the Concepts of Light Through Play, n.d.). If the space we have isn't dark enough I can also talk to the children about the different shapes of the room, colours and patterns within the room. Colour mixing is interesting as the children can explore cause and effect, "playing with, and identifying, colours and patterns is a fun and engaging way to encourage Visual sensory play" (Subramani, 2023b).

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At an early age children will put anything and everything into their mouth, we will constantly be telling them no because it is unhygienic but they don't care, they are exploring their world. Providing children objects to explore orally can give them safe and clean was to explore their surroundings wether it be different textures of foods or random different objects. in the environment itself we can "include the natural, safe smells of herbs, flowers, and spices and let children try to identify them" (KABOOM!, 2021). although it is "harder to gauge when a child is using their sense of smell and taste", we can provide opportunities for children through experiences and in the older rooms talk to them about what they're tasting and smelling.

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We decided to add a diffuser into our room and change the smells for the children each day, as the child walks in we ask them "what can you smell today?". It has been an opportunity for the children to settle into the room and create discussion between families and educators, some children have come in telling us what they smelt on the weekend and how it made them feel. The children have begun to associate different smells together like the smell of poo or the smell of lunch cooking.

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On our light box we have provided children with different shapes to explore shadows and also coloured cellophane paper to explore colour. This was an activity I set up and let the children do their own thing at, I didn't want to sit there and constantly interrupt their train of thought so I observed from a distance. the children seemed to enjoy stacking the objects on top of each other rather than actually exploring the light so I am going to include torches they can use that are a bit brighter and might cast off more of a shadow.

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I wanted to do an activity that would involve multiple senses so I decided to make some play-dough and add in cinnamon. The children were very unsure at first because play-dough doesn't usually smell, a couple of children even tried it and were disappointed to find it was still salty. I sat and spoke with a couple of the children asking what they thought it smelt like to which they replied "ginger bread man" and "spicy". The overall reaction to the play-dough was a hit as i knew it would be because they LOVE play-dough.

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A lot of our children will spend majority of their day outside and in the sandpit so I wanted to incorporate something extra into their play. I added blue and green food colouring to the sand and swished it around to make a larger coloured area. Coming into the sandpit the children's faces lit up with excitement. I sat with them asking them questions about if it still felt like normal sand and about the colours and what else they can see in the yard with those same colours, most children thought that the sand felt different but couldn't give me an explanation as to what it felt like.

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This is an activity I loved doing with the children last year and was unsure how a younger age group would grasp the concept. I sat with the activity to explain to the children the colours they can mix to make different colours and how to do it, I then gave them full rein and they went ham. By the end they had fully given up on using the paint brush and was using their hands to mix the colours, while this was happening i was asking what colours they were making. I found something interesting that a lot of the children were unsure on what the colour purple was and would call it either blue or pink.

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Our centre is smack bang right next to a really busy road so often we will hear loud trucks passing by, there was a particular day where road works was happening near by so I took the children outside and we listening to the different noises of the tools being used. At first I guided their thinking to different noises and where they might be coming from but as the conversation went on the children took over and stepped back adding my opinion in when asked. It was beautiful to watch their social skills grow as they connected as a group as well as work as a team to identify any unusual sounds.